Target will begin testing a new loyalty program Tuesday that it hopes will lead to increased shopper loyalty, including more customers becoming holders of its credit card.

For now, the Target Red program is limited to Dallas-Fort Worth, where, Target spokesman Joshua Thomas said, the market is diverse enough to gather a wide range of responses and where the program can evolve.

Target has designed the loyalty program to stand separate from its Redcard store credit card, which comes with a 5 percent discount.

"We know not everyone wants a credit card," Thomas said, but shoppers like to be rewarded. Eventually, he said, shoppers who join the program could apply for a Target credit card. Shoppers can sign up for Target Red by supplying their email address in the retailer's phone app where it also recently moved its discount Cartwheel program. It's a beta test now, Thomas said, and shoppers may be asked for more information as the test progresses.

Retailers say their store-branded credit card shoppers are their best customers. J.C. Penney said shoppers who use its store credit card spend twice as much in a year as other shoppers. And for some stores, it's much higher. About 40 percent of Neiman Marcus' annual sales are generated from its InCircle customers. These customers spend 11 times more each year than the retailer's other shoppers.

But the growth in Target Redcard sales slowed last year to 24.3 percent of total sales, up just slightly from 24 percent in 2016 and 22.3 percent in 2015. Here's what Target Red offers:

(Target)

— The new loyalty program gives shoppers 1 percent cash back on their purchases to redeem within a year.

— For households who are interested in online grocery shopping, the new program cuts the first year Shipt membership price to $49.99 from $99.99. Target purchased Shipt last year to run its online grocery business, and the service went live in D-FW in February.

— Loyalty shoppers can also vote for one of three local nonprofit groups that they want Target to support. (Redcard holders can join the loyalty program to cast votes and receive the other service benefits, but the 1 percent cash back is not added to the 5 percent credit card discount.)

"By focusing on Dallas-Fort Worth, we think we can learn a lot," Thomas said. "It's a market where we've made significant investments."

Target is planning to bring its drive-up shopping service for general merchandise here later this year. It started offering the curbside service in its headquarters market of Minneapolis-St. Paul last year and plans to soon roll it out to 1,000 stores.

While it tests its loyalty program, Target is also making special exclusive offers to its credit card customers. Last Saturday, Target Redcard customers were the first to be able to purchase seven items, which included a lilac backpack, from British outerwear brand Hunter. The items nearly sold out in the first couple of hours, Thomas said. The limited edition merchandise goes on sale in all its stores this Saturday.

"We're planning to develop more offers throughout the year that're only available to Target Redcard holders," Thomas said. "Consumers have lots of choices, and we want them to choose Target."